James Connolly My Search for the Man, the Myth and His Legacy

by O'Callaghan, Sean

• ISBN13: 9781784751807
• ISBN10: 1784751804
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2016-09-28
• Publisher: Century

Summary

Easter Monday, April 24, 1916: James Connolly, a 48-year-old Edinburgh-born Marxist and former British soldier, stands at the top of the steps of Liberty Hall, Dublin. "We are going out to be slaughtered," Connolly told his comrades, setting in motion the Easter Rising of 1916, an armed struggle that would end with his execution two weeks later. This is not a traditional biography, but a book about O'Callaghan's relationship with a man who was to deeply influence his formative years; it is about the politics of violent extremism that O'Callaghan subsequently became caught up in; and it's about the kind of individuals who are willing to sacrifice everything for a holy cause.

Author Biography

SEAN O'CALLAGHAN is a former member of the Provisional IRA, and between 1978-1981 was a high level informer for the Special Branch of the Irish police. In 1988, he resigned from the IRA and voluntarily surrendered to British justice. Following his release from prison, he published his memoirs, The Informer: The True Life Story of One Man's War on Terrorism. Still under threat of IRA revenge, he now works ceaselessly for peace in Ireland and around the world.